


This is not goodbye

by genericfanatic



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-08
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-24 14:29:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2584706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genericfanatic/pseuds/genericfanatic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Mako leaves Wu to fight Kuvira, and things go wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This is not goodbye

Wu marched down the halls. He indicated with his head for his new bodyguard to open the door. Mako looked up from his packing, but seeing who it was, returned to it immediately. “Stay outside,” Wu ordered the new guard, who he didn’t bother learning the name of. The guard closed the door leaving the couple alone.   
They stayed silent for a moment, Mako packing and Wu watching him. “So.” Wu said, “It’s true.”  
Mako took a deep breath, “Yeah, it’s true.”  
Wu, unable to control his anger at the moment, began pacing in Mako’s apartment. “I don’t know what makes me more angry,” He said, “The fact that you are going to go in the depth of the Earth Kingdom with VARRICK—“  
“And Korra, and Asami, and the air nomads and—“  
“Or that I had to find out about it from Raiko?” He turned to Mako finally, his hands clenched into fists. “What did you think was going to happen, you were just going to slip in your resignation, head off, and never see me again?”  
“No,” Mako said, shaking his head, “It’s not like that. I just didn’t want you to freak out about it.”  
“Well, that ship has sailed,” Wu said, resuming his pacing, “Wasn’t Varrick the one who had you arrested? The one who worked with Kuvira to develop a SUPER WEAPON?”   
“He defected,” Mako said, “ He knows all about Kuvira’s plans and he knows how to stop her. My brother also defected, if you’ll remember.”  
“And what if he doesn’t know how to take her down? What if you get there and she’s ready and arrests you or—“ Wu began crying. Mako stopped his packing and turned to him. He held the princes arms to stop him from pacing, but Wu turned away from him, trying not to let him see his tears.   
Mako instead wrapped his arms around the younger man’s waist, pressing the top of his head between the prince’s shoulder blades. “I don’t want you to worry about me. You have enough right now with learning how to be King. But don’t you see, all the lessons in the world are meaningless if we don’t take down Kuvira.”  
Wu turned to look up at Mako, tears still down his face, “But can’t they do that without you?”  
Mako smiled at him sadly. Slowly, he kissed the prince’s forehead, before holding him to his chest, “Wu, you know I love you. But they’re my friends, and I can’t let them do this without me.”  
Wu clutched the firebender’s shirt, trying to dry his eyes, “Promise me, okay?” He swallowed and looked up, “You have to promise me that you’ll come back to me.”  
Mako nodded, “I promise. I promise I’ll come back, and when I do, I’ll bring you a crown.”  
Wu whimpered slightly before crying again. Mako silenced his tears with a kiss on the lips and wiped the tears from his eyes. “I’ll see you soon. This isn’t goodbye.”  
“Then don’t say it.” Wu said.  
Mako backed away from him, closed up his suitcase and prepared to go meet Korra. “I love you,”  
“I love you.” Wu said, walking out the door to have his new bodyguard follow him.  
………………………………………………………….  
The invasion went easier than they all had thought. They infiltrated Kuvira’s military and made it all the way to her tent. Mako nodded to Korra, informing her he had her back. Bolin and Asami did the same.   
With a flourish, the four of them opened the tent, prepared to take down the tyrant.  
What they found was Bataar Jr. Standing alone, expecting them, with his hands in the air. “I surrender,” he said sarcastically.  
“Where is Kuvira?” Korra demanded.  
Bataar Jr. smirked. “Why, with the rest of the army, of course.”  
“Avatar Korra!” They heard the shout from outside the tent just before Suyin burst in. “My men found tunnels underneath the compound, large enough for an army to march through. They lead all the way to Republic City.”  
Mako felt his stomach drop. Thankfully, Korra was on top of the action. “Get me a radio and a clear connection to the Republic City police force.”  
Suyin’s men retrieved it while everyone else secured the compound, “This is Avatar Korra to Republic City Police Department. Lin, can you hear me?”  
There was a pause that felt like an eternity before Lin’s voice came through, “I’m a little busy, Avatar, can you make this quick?”  
“Is Kuvira there already?” she asked.  
“Came and gone,” Lin’s voice had an extra level of irritation to it, “She swooped in, took down some of my best men, grabbed the Earth Prince and ran.” Mako froze in horror. Not Wu. It couldn’t be. She couldn’t have gotten—  
“Prince Wu?” Korra asked into the other end. She, Bolin, and Asami turned to Mako. He couldn’t move. “What would she want with him?”  
“Surprisingly,” Lin said, “She didn’t let me in on her master plan. But she did head out toward Ba Sing Se. Probably half way there by now. But now, his supporters and her supporters are fighting in the streets, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to take care of that.”  
“Do you need me to send you reinforcements?” Korra asked, turning away from Mako.  
“No, I need you to go save the world or whatever it is you do, and let me do my job.”  
“Alright. Bye Li—“ but the police chief had already hung up.  
Mako snapped out of his reverie and grabbed Korra’s arm, “We have to go intercept her, we have to go now and get him back—“  
“Mako, you know we’ll never reach them before they get to the city,” Korra said, “We have to go about this smart. Lets come up with a plan, and we’ll take Ba Sing Se and the earth kingdom once and for all.”  
Mako felt the fire under his skin. Bolin put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Mako was ready. He would take down Kuvira if it was the last thing he ever did.  
……………………………………………………………………….  
Wu had grown up in Ba Sing Se. This is not how he had expected to return, chained and beaten. He did not cry. He would not, not in front of Kuvira, her empire or anyone.   
Still, he couldn’t stop himself shaking to take breaths as he was frog-marched into Town Square. Kuvira stood in front of the large crowd, looking smug. The entire city seemed to be there. Wu looked over the crowd, those who might have been his subjects, jeer him as he passed.   
He was brought to stand next to Kuvira. “This man,” she said, addressing the crowd, “This child was the choice of world leaders to sit on your throne. This spoiled BOY is the continuation of a monarchy that FAILED this nation at every turn, and if he had sat the throne, all the work that we, as a nation, have done to rebuild in the last 3 years would have gone to waste. I could not let that happen.”  
The crowd cheered for her. Wu thought about her words. “When I seized power,” She metalbent the king’s broach off of his shirt and had it hover in her hands, “I had hoped to put an end to this monarchy peacefully. But now I see I was too merciful.” She pointed at Wu, “This man sent in the avatar and her soldiers to take me down, to try and take back the empire for himself. Thankfully, I was one step ahead of them. I promise you all here and now, that I will never let the world leaders put someone so…incompetent in your city on your throne again!” She crushed the broach into a ball and let it fall to the floor.  
“You’re right,” Wu muttered. The words were not as strong as he would hope, but they were loud enough to get Kuvira’s attention.  
The crowd quieted down. “Is this surrender, oh prince? I am afraid it is far too late.”  
“No, it’s a fact.” Wu used all of his strength to look Kuvira in the eye. “When you took the throne from me, I would not have made a good King. I still might not, though I would give everything I have in order to try. But maybe I’m not there yet. Maybe I’m still not ready.” He took a deep breath, making sure he was heard by the crowd, “But I would be better than you.”  
The crowd mumbled low. “You,” Wu said, while Kuvira was too stunned, “You have done great things these past three years to rebuild. But you have also done terrible things to ensure this nation, this empire lives under your thumb. I may be spoiled, but even I can tell that isn’t the work of someone caring, that is the work of someone who wants power for themselves!”  
Kuvira frowned, silencing the crowd with her hand. “I have brought stability and control.”  
“You have brought fear and tyranny,” Wu said. “I offer you this. I will rescind my claim to the throne if you do the same. Together we can work to find what is best for the nation.”  
She rolled her eyes. “That is not a fair trade. I already have the throne. You have nothing.”  
“And yet you seem willing to execute me over this ‘nothing’ I have.” The crowd gasped. “Let us not lie to ourselves, the only reason you would bring me here is public execution. And I wasn’t even the empire, and if you are truly as powerful as you say, not causing you any harm. How long until you come for them when they speak out against you?” He gestured to the crowd, “How long until they are made of examples of? How long—“  
The metal harness closed around his neck, closing his windpipe and lifting him into the air. He gripped the edge, trying to pull it from his skin, trying to gasp in a breath of air, “Has anyone ever told you,” Kuvira said calmly, “You talk too much.”  
He closed his eyes and thought desperately to himself, Mako, I’m sorry.  
………………………………………………………….  
Korra knew where to find Mako. He was kneeling in the abandoned town square. The battle had been hard and long. They had never found the body, but they had plenty of eye witnesses. A crushed broach sat, abandoned on the steps. Mako could not bring himself to pick it up.  
Korra sat next to him. He was not crying, just sitting there, as though he couldn’t move. “You know,” She said, “A lot of the citizens say he was the one who inspired them to help us.” Mako didn’t respond. “They say he was very brave.”  
Korra paused, waiting for Mako. “Idiot,” He said, “Should have stayed quiet. Then she wouldn’t have…” His voice petered out.  
Korra looked at him sadly. “You know that’s not true.” She was right. It didn’t make him feel better. “You can say what you’re thinking.”  
He swallowed, “I…I know it’s not my fault. I couldn’t have…I would probably just be dead too. But I—I should have been there. It was my job, and I left, and I…” The tears finally started forming in the corner of his eyes, “I promised him…I…I promised I’d come back.” Korra launched herself forward to hug him. He rested his head in her neck, allowing his tears to leak out.   
He shook his head trying to clear his head and wiped his tears. Reaching out, he picked up the crushed broach, remembering how proud of it the prince had been. He gently wiped dirt off of it with his thumb, a part of him hoping that it had been a hoax, that they would find him in a cell, that all of the civilians and Kuvira and everyone had lied. But he knew it wasn’t true, and Wu—Wu was—  
“I never even got to say goodbye,” He told her the tears coming back. His face stung.  
She nodded slowly, thinking. “Why don’t you say it now?” He frowned at her as though she had grown a second head. “Now is as good a time as any.”  
He thought for a moment. “I wouldn’t know what to say.”  
Korra shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be perfect.”  
He sighed. “I feel silly.” Korra raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to speak. Mako closed his eyes so he couldn’t see her, and pictured Wu, perfect Wu standing in front of him. He nearly started crying again. “Wu,” He said, “I…I’m sorry I left you behind. I’m sorry I failed you. But I wanted you to know…after all our time together, I saw how great of a person you became and…and I fell in love with that person. I was so proud of you. I think you would have made a great king.”  
A single tear burned its way down his cheek. “I love you so much, and…I miss you.” And now was the hardest part, the word he didn’t want to say…”I…goodbye, Wu…I—“ He choked up, unable to say anymore. Korra wrapped her arms around him again.   
They stayed like that for a minute more. “Mako?” Korra said, “The others will come looking for us soon.” He nodded, still unable to speak. “Lets get to the palace.” She stood up, offering her hand. He nodded again, reluctantly taking it and standing up. He pocketed the crushed broach. Korra led him to the palace, where Wu should have been.


End file.
